Gartner positions SAP in leaders quadrant for data integration

According to the Gartner report, 'Demand trends have given rise to new challenges in 2011. Fresh needs arising from contemporary challenges are presenting new opportunities in this market, as buyers seek to address data integration as a critical aspect of a coherent information management capability...' Gartner makes the point that the problem of integrating disparate data sources – including emerging sources, such as those involving so-called 'big data' and new data types – into a cohesive and usable set of information, hasn't gone away. "SAP is helping its customers address these challenges with its support of 'big data', through the SAP HANA appliance software," says the analyst. SAP numbers BusinessObjects Data Services software, NetWeaver Process Integration, Sybase Replication Server and SybasePower Designer software among its key data integration toolsets. However, Gartner will also have been mindful of the 4.0 release of SAP BusinessObjects Data Services, which provides new capabilities for information governance with SAP BusinessObjects Information Steward software, as well as tighter integrations with the SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence platform and SAP Business Suite software. SAP describes these as helping "organisations to better assess and act decisively on huge volumes of data both within and outside their businesses – enabling the delivery of integrated, accurate and timely data [structured and unstructured] across the enterprise".